


so i picked up a pen and a microphone

by writing_addict



Series: fullmetal alchemist musical aus [2]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Edward Elric Swears, Families of Choice, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Hurt Alphonse Elric, Hurt/Comfort, I Don't Even Know, Musical References, Musicals, One Shot, Past Lives, Six AU, and expose the amestrian military, historemix, if you like six the musical and fma come read this, it's a six the musical au with fma characters, not technically a songfic but yk, sort of???, the xing trio and the resembool trio are here to sing, things i wrote in quarantine that pander directly to me, winry was the first queen of amestris bc i say so
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:13:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23687467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writing_addict/pseuds/writing_addict
Summary: "Exiled."Gold lights flash. The crown gleaming, drawing all eyes."Beheaded."Green lights. Red lips pulling back to reveal a gleaming smirk."Died."Silver lights. A solemn face sweeping over the hushed crowd."Exiled."Red lights. Intimidating, sharp eyes freezing the audience without a sound."Beheaded."Pink lights. Playful, secretive smiles commanding the attention of the room."Survived."Blue lights. Amestris's first queen raising her fist in the air with the defiance of rebellion."And tonight, East City, we are..."Lights down. Pitch black. And then—“LIVE!”Or: two hundred years ago, Amestris was a military dictatorship led by Fuhrer Bradley. After the Mechanic's Revolution, it became a constitutional monarchy renowned for its humanitarian efforts and clean energy initiatives. Six Warriors brought about this grand rebellion, but their stories are only known by a children's rhyme: Exiled, Beheaded, Died, Exiled, Beheaded, Survived.And tonight, they're here to take back their crowning glory.
Relationships: Alphonse Elric & Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric & Winry Rockbell, Edward Elric & Ling Yao, Edward Elric & Winry Rockbell, Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell, Lan Fan & Ling Yao, Mei Chan | May Chang & Lan Fan
Series: fullmetal alchemist musical aus [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1295300
Comments: 19
Kudos: 58





	so i picked up a pen and a microphone

**Author's Note:**

> so. it's a six the musical au. if you haven't seen/heard/don't know about six the musical, it's a fantastic contemporary musical about the six wives of henry the eighth--catherine of aragon, anne boleyn, jane seymour, anna of cleves, katherine howard, and catherine parr (divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived, or so the rhyme goes). it reimagines them as pop stars in a girl group who are on tour, reclaiming their stories and competing to be the leading lady of the group. the songs are amazing, it's cutting edge and witty, and i highly recommend it--i'll post a link to the album on youtube below.
> 
> SO, of course, i decided to make an fma au of it, changing the canon of fma before this one-shot takes place to match the story of the six wives! featuring the amestrian military as an entity that represents henry, and...  
> ling yao as catherine of aragon, who in this au ambassador from xing that got screwed over and was exiled, before being kidnapped by father and used as his new greed  
> mei chang as anne boleyn, a rival ambassador sent by the chang clan to try and disrupt the yao clan's growing power in the art of diplomatic relations, only for alkahestry to be banned once she succeeded and for her to be beheaded for resisting  
> lan fan as jane seymour, who tracked down her prince when he went missing and tried to save him, only to be killed after he got out  
> edward elric as anna of cleves, who spoke out about the fuhrer's imperialism and actively opposed/tried to stop it, only to be declared mentally unfit for service and shuffled aside to an estate where he couldn't disrupt things  
> alphonse elric as katherine howard, who after his brother's disappearance began working as a grifter for madame christmas, stealing information and resources to dismantle the military dictatorship they were under, and was caught and assaulted by a former mark before being arrested and beheaded for treason  
> winry rockbell as catherine parr, who was brought in as the military's head of r&d for the most cutting edge weapons (and to continue to manipulate ed), only to turn on them and incite a rebellion called the Mechanic's Revolution that resulted in her being crowned queen
> 
> and that's everyone! here's the link to the album: [Six: The Musical](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOKiTcgc7SU&list=PLCOOUY9uAnn82EnBxCXpN6uF9pYVTvBqQ). Enjoy the fic!

_“Exiled.”_

Gold lights flash. The crown gleaming, drawing all eyes.

" _Beheaded_.”

Green lights. Red lips pulling back to reveal a gleaming smirk.

_“Died.”_

Silver lights. A solemn face sweeping over the hushed crowd.

_“Exiled.”_

Red lights. Intimidating, sharp eyes freezing the audience without a sound.

_“Beheaded.”_

Pink lights. Playful, secretive smiles commanding the attention of the room.

_“Survived.”_

Blue lights. Amestris’s first queen raising her fist in the air with the defiance of rebellion.

_“And tonight, East City, we are…”_

Lights down. Pitch black. And then—

_“LIVE!”_

* * *

“Hi, everyone! Welcome to the last _Six!_ Backstage vlog before opening night!” Alphonse Elric waved excitedly at the camera, beaming despite the nerves shaking him up from the inside out. Opening night. Of _their_ show. _Their_ story. One that had gotten wiped from the history books, their humanity stolen as they were named _The Six Warriors of Amestris_ and nothing more.

This…this was never supposed to happen. They weren’t supposed to be reincarnated, and he doubted the people of the past watching him wanted their stories to be told. But that was what this whole _thing_ was about, really. Once their memories had come back (and they’d learned to deal with the trauma of being, you know, reincarnated, long-dead historical figures), they’d known they couldn’t let their stories be told for them anymore.

They were taking back the microphone. Tonight. And in the days leading up to it, Al had been so, so excited, running these little vlogs to get people just as eager to listen (finally, _finally_ listen to them), but now that it was literally the big day, circled in red on the calendar…he was more scared than he wanted to admit. The scar around his neck had been itching all day, and he knew it was irrational, that Amestris’s new constitutional monarchy protected free speech and would thus keep them safe—

But the last time he tried to speak out, to resist, to fight, he’d been used…and discarded. A pretty face and then a severed head, and a cautionary tale.

His brother had nearly died of grief. Winry had started a revolution because of it. And even though that revolution meant he was safe now, Al couldn’t help _wondering—what if it happens again? What if it’s all of us, this time?_

Still, thinking like that would make him have a panic attack (on camera, no less), and Al very much wanted to avoid that, so he busied himself with heading down the hallway to the dressing rooms, phone held so the viewers could see him. “It’s our first time performing this on a big, proper stage instead of a college theatre, so we’re all a little nervous, but excited! Plus, the costumes are _so_ cool, oh my god, you’re all gonna love them. So much, in fact, that I thought I’d finally give you a little sneak peek! Or, that was the plan, but, uh—I’m the only one not in my costume? So it’s the only one still on the mannequin, which means I’m gonna have to track down the rest. But I think I know where Ling is…”

_Please be there._ He could keep up the smile (perils of being a grifter in his past life), but he did _not_ want to be alone right now. He nudged the dressing room door open, before relaxing immensely and turning the camera toward the room. “Found both of the exiles, apparently. And our survivor. Hopefully not ruining each other’s makeup!”

Ling glanced up at the camera from where he’d thrown himself dramatically over a squishy armchair and grinned, flashing a peace sign as he popped another gummy frog in his mouth. “I’m not the one you need to ask that,” he drawled, jerking his thumb toward Al’s brother and best friend with a laugh.

Ed blushed fiercely, as bright red as his costume, and very distinctly did not move to hide behind Winry. Clearly. For someone whose stage persona was the picture of confidence and _oh-so above your bullshit,_ Al knew intimately that his brother was a _giant dork._ “No, you’re just makin’ your costume all sticky with those stupid gummies,” he grumbled.

“And sulking because Lan Fan won’t kiss him,” Winry called to the camera, grinning cheekily. A gummy frog hit her in the cheek and she yelped, before cackling as Ed snagged it before it could hit the ground. “We’re not supposed to eat in costume, guys!”

“Rules were meant to be broken, Miss Revolution,” Ling ribbed, before flipping himself upright in the chair and tilting his head toward Al. “Whatcha doing with that?”

“Backstage Vlog. I’m giving them a sneak peek of the costumes—don’t worry, I got permission first.” He gestured for him to get up, bouncing excitedly. “C’mon, give us a pose!”

“Like, an in-character pose or—”

“You _are_ the character, dumbass,” Ed muttered, snagging the bag of gummy frogs and shoving it in the little mini-fridge under the counters. Ling stuck his tongue out at him before getting to his feet and striking a pose that would put his little sister to shame, the gold and black of his costume glinting under the light as the spikes of his crown gleamed. He almost outdid Mei’s own theatrical sense of melodrama—almost. Al didn’t know how two such obvious theatre kids had survived in the same family, but then again, he supposed the same thing went for him and Ed.

He whistled appreciatively, before turning the camera on Ed and Winry. “Say _six_ , Brother!”

Ed huffed, before hopping up on the counter with a grin, the lights framing the mirrors glinting off his automail as Ling snuck around toward the gummy frogs and nabbed them again, glaring playfully over his shoulder at him. “It’s not a photo, why do I have to say that? Make Winry do it,” he added, toeing at her with a red-studded boot.

Winry flashed a peace sign from where she was sitting on the carpet, grinning. “Don’t listen to him. Hi, everyone! Can’t wait to see you guys in the audience tonight!” She raised her fist in the iconic gesture that began the infamous Mechanic’s Revolution, though her hand clutched a blue microphone instead of the familiar wrench. “ _Five four three two one_ more hours before we take the stage!”

“I heard singing, what’s going on?”

Al turned as Lan Fan poked her head into the room, Mei flouncing in after her in the bouncy green skirt he was certain would become a meme as soon as the first megasix was filmed. “I’m giving the fans—or, future fans—a sneak peek at the costumes before we give them our big message!” he chirped, turning the phone toward them. “Lan Fan is the only one with an actual dress—which is interesting, considering she didn’t wear one as the Third Warrior.”

Lan Fan chuckled quietly as she stepped into the room, adjusting the little crown set in front of her bun. “Well, I think all the costumes are pretty _different_ from what we wore two hundred years ago. I mean, except for Ed.”

“Oh, come _on,_ this again—”

“Your taste sucked back then, babe,” Winry agreed sympathetically, patting his automail leg. “But yours is still the most accurate look out of all of ours. Red, black, and silver.”

“Ling wore _yellow,”_ Ed huffed, but he hopped off the counter and waved ruefully at the camera again.

“This is gold,” Ling sniffed, affecting a miffed look. “You know, like my crown.” He flicked one of the long spikes reaching up from behind his bangs playfully, before launching a rescued gummy frog at Ed with a grin.

Ed snatched it out of the air and chucked it back before rolling his eyes. “ _Ughhhh.”_

“Careful with that,” Mei chirped, trotting over. “The hairstylist is gonna kill us if any of these get knocked out and she has to fix them again.” She tapped the studded bands around her buns, her usual tight braids left undone and her hair falling in wild waves to the small of her back. “Al, do you want me to hold your phone while you go get changed?”

“Huh—oh, that’d be great!” Definitely saved him the trouble of having to awkwardly ask or edit a portion of the video out. He thanked her quickly and hurried out, slipping into his dressing room and shutting the door.

And…there it was.

He sucked in a slow breath, staring at it for a moment—black and pink and softer rose-golds. Not colors he’d worn the first time around as a grifter under Madame Christmas’s operation. Then he’d worn suits, mostly. Done whatever it took to get the mark’s attention, then get their information. _Anything_ it took.

Including…including offering himself, if it meant getting what they needed to bring down Fuhrer Bradley and dismantle the military dictatorship that gripped Amestris two hundred years ago. Including his own life.

_Guillotine_ , he thought bitterly, a hand tracing the scar around his neck before moving to gently touch the choker with that familiar _A_ charm dangling from it. _They brought back a medieval weapon just to make an example of me. That’s how much they feared me._

_Even though I was stuck at their mercy from the very beginning._

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, fingers tight around the charm. There were still days, since getting his memory back, that his body didn’t feel like his own. That he couldn’t talk to anyone for fear of spilling information that _everyone_ now knew. That he wandered around lost, craving company but balking at every touch. They were few and far between thanks to his therapist’s efforts, but he still _had them._

_And what if it happens again? What if the world looks down on us for telling our stories? What if they kill us for saying what went on behind the scenes?_

He rested his forehead on the mannequin’s chest, before opening his eyes.

_That’s exactly why we need to_ tell _our story._

It was terrifying. God, it was terrifying. But he wasn’t alone now.

He’d never be alone again.

Twenty minutes later, Al was smushed between the rest of the Six, smiling at his phone from where he’d propped the camera up on a chair and shyly rubbing at the back of his neck. “So,” he started, “I know there’s a bunch of you that don’t believe we really are the Six Warriors of Amestris reincarnated. I know a lot of it sounds like a show gimmick, but…whether we are or aren’t isn’t what we’re here to talk about.”

“What we _are_ here to say,” Mei picked up, reaching over and squeezing his hand, “is that _Six_ is meant to show you all what the history books didn’t—the truth behind the triumph and the tragedy. You all know the military tied us together. You know that our past with them is what led Winry—” who waved at the camera, face uncharacteristically solemn “—to incite the Mechanic’s Rebellion and turn Amestris into a constitutional monarchy.”

“The details of our lives are lost in translation,” Ling added quietly. “And we become figureheads for this brave new world without anyone knowing what we went through to create that world. Yes, the rhyme gives you an idea: exiled—”

“Beheaded,” Mei added.

Lan Fan inclined her head. “Died.”

Ed raised his hand with a sigh. “Exiled.”

Al managed a small smile. “Beheaded.”

“Survived,” Winry murmured.

“But before we were the Six Warriors of Amestris, we were people,” he finished. “We have _always_ been people. Individuals.”

“One of a kind,” Ed added with a faint smile. “No category. So—we’re asking you to please, _please_ forget what you think you know about us. Forget the stories you’ve heard, forget your favorites, forget everything except _that._ We’re people. Six people who had to hurt a lot and lose a lot—some of us losing our safety, our dignity, our _lives—”_ he sucked in a breath, his hand squeezing tight around Al’s other one, eyes falling closed as he fought back tears. Al leaned his head on his shoulder, closing his eyes for a moment. Ed had always blamed himself for Al’s death, for the methods he’d resorted to get information.

It wasn’t his fault. It had never been his fault. But Ed was his big brother, had practically raised him in that life, and nothing Al did or said could ever take that pain away. All he could do was help him bear it.

“We’re here for you all,” Winry went on softly, picking up where Ed left off. “We want to share our stories. To share who we are with the world. But…most of all we’re doing this for ourselves.”

“Someone else has controlled the narrative for too long,” Lan Fan added. “This is our chance to live our lives on our own terms, and we’re not going to waste it. So be gentle with us. Be kind to each other. We know what happens if you dedicate yourself to tearing the people around you down, and we won’t tolerate it.”

“No one,” Al finished quietly, and for a moment he wasn’t Alphonse Elric, student and actor and happy, normal, well-adjusted kid—but Alphonse Elric, the alchemist grifter who lost his head, “will ever have to end up like us again.”

* * *

They stood under the lights, the six of them shining brilliantly, tears running down their faces as they basked in the cheers of the audience, in their stories reclaimed, in a world that now knew them all by name.

" _For five, four, three, two, one more minute…WE’RE SIX!”_

**Author's Note:**

> not 100% satisfied with the ending, but im too tired to mess with it, lol. thanks for reading! leave a comment and/or a kudos if you enjoyed it, and i'll see you next time <3


End file.
